Advancement Courses
For rising 7th through 11th graders
6/30/25-7/28/25
7/4 school is closed
LHS Students looking to advance:
LHS students must take offered courses through SMILE if the course is offered by the program.
Alternative options are provided only if SMILE does not offer the course.
Advancement is four weeks (8:00 am-2:45 pm)
Includes a 45 minute lunch break
(Lunch is NOT provided)
Advancement courses available
College Prep:
Algebra I
Honors:
Algebra II
Geometry
For LMS Advancement, a student must take Algebra Advancement to move to Geometry 8.
LMS 7th grade students who do not meet the required grades will be placed based on math placement process.
Pathways:
Students rising to 9th grade to LHS:
Placement for Algebra 1 Students:
Students who achieve a score of 80-89 will be placed in Geometry CP.
Students who achieve a 90 or higher will be considered for Geometry Honors.
Students who score below 80 will be placed based on teacher recommendations.
No overrides are available; placement is determined solely by grades.
Placement for Geometry Honors & Algebra 2 Honors Students:
Students must earn a final course grade of at least 80 to advance to the next level.
Students scoring below 80 may advance only at the CP level, pending Guidance approval. A meeting with their counselor is required to discuss options. No overrides are available for honors-level placements.
Examples:
A Geometry Honors student with a 75 may advance only to Algebra II CP (not Algebra II Honors).
An Algebra 2 Honors student with a 78 may advance only to Pre-Calculus CP (not AP Pre-Calculus).
Transcripts and GPA
The final grade will be calculated into the GPA as an honors course, unless the student opts to audit the course.
Students who do not audit but fail to earn credit with an 80 will have their grade recorded on their transcript, but it will NOT receive any GPA weighting.
For STEM Academy students:
Failure to meet the required grade will result in placement back into the teacher-recommended course.
Overrides into Honors are not permitted, nor is automatic placement.
Failure to complete the audit process before the deadline will result in the grade being permanently recorded on the transcript.
7th grade LMS Students:
Students currently enrolled in Math 7/Portfolio 7 are eligible for Algebra advancement, allowing them to take Geometry 8 in 8th grade.
Students currently enrolled in Algebra 8 are not eligible for advancement.
7th grade LMS students taking Algebra Advancement over the summer must achieve a score of 87 or higher to advance to Geometry 8.
Students who do not achieve an 87 will be placed in either Math 8 or Algebra 8, in accordance with the LMS Math placement process.
Rising 8th-grade LMS students cannot take Geometry Honors for advancement; the course may only be taken as an audit.
All grades are based on assessments that include midterm and final exams.
Out of District Students:
Please refer to your own district guidelines for advancement credit. You may be required to obtain approval before taking the course.
Student Cost for Advancement:
Tuition rate 2025: $1000
* Financial assistance is available. Families must be classified by their home resident district for receiving free or reduced meals. Documentation may be requested.
Non-refundable registration $50 fee per student is included in price.
Multi-student discount available for Leonia and Edgewater residents only.
Families registering more than one student are eligible for a discount:
2 Students: 10% discount will be applied to the total SMILE cost.
3 Students: 15% discount will be applied to the total SMILE cost.
*Discounts will be adjusted if a student registration is canceled.
Payment and cancellations:
Seating is not confirmed until payment is made for tuition in full.
Payments must be made before or on the day the program begins. Students will not be awarded credit and/or be permitted to participate until payment has been made.
Students will not earn credit for Recovery or Advancement and/or may not be allowed to join the program if payment is not received. Each day missed will count as an absence.
Refunds:
Cancellations made before the commencement of the program will be eligible for a full tuition refund, with the deduction of a $50 registration fee.
Cancellations made on the first day of the program will be subject to a partial tuition reimbursement, amounting to half of the tuition fee, after deducting the $50 registration fee.
No reimbursements will be provided for cancellations made after the completion of the first day of the program.
Students enrolled in the LMS and LHS with outstanding balances will not receive credit for the program. Additionally, a fine equivalent to the outstanding tuition amount will be placed in Genesis.
Out-of-district students with outstanding balances will not be permitted to participate in the program, and/or credit will not be awarded until outstanding balances are settled.
Before registering:
You must speak to your counselor or Mathematics Supervisor about which course to take.
